


Seven Days To Make You Love Me

by paperinkquillpoet



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Lots of dates, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Polyamory, Valentine's Day, because of identities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29240541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperinkquillpoet/pseuds/paperinkquillpoet
Summary: Ladybug gives Chat Noir a week. If he can make her fall in love with him, she'll be his Valentine. Simple, right?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 38
Kudos: 185





	1. Saturday, February 6

**Author's Note:**

> Been thinking of this for a while, decided to finally do it for Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy!

“My lady, may I ask you a question?” Chat Noir asked. He rolled onto his side on the rooftop to look at Ladybug, who was playing with her yoyo as she lay a few feet away.

She caught it in her hand and turned her head to look at him. “Yes, Chat?”

“It’s almost Valentine’s Day,” Chat began. “And…”

Ladybug sighed. “Chat, no, I can’t be your Valentine.”

“Could you really never love me?” There was pain in his voice.

“Chat…” she began slowly. “I do love you, as a friend. You know I’m in love with someone else.” Adrien. She was in love with Adrien and had a whole life planned out with him in her head. “You should move on.”

“Give me a chance first?” Chat Noir asked. “A week to win you over. You could be my valentine the day after that way. And if I can’t, I’ll stop asking and try to move on.”

“Fine,” Ladybug said. She was a little curious about his idea of winning her over. “A week is a small price to pay to get you to move on.”

“Starting now,” Chat said, beaming. “Come with me.”

“What?” Ladybug found herself being pulled to her feet by Chat. “What are you doing?”

“I had an idea!” He jumped off the rooftop. Regretting her decision slightly, Ladybug followed.

* * *

They stopped at a small café-patisserie that was about to close. “May I get two coffees and a sampler of your best desserts for two, please?”

“Chat!” Ladybug exclaimed. “You can’t do that.”

“Of course!” The lady at the counter beamed with delight. “I’ll throw in a bonus treat for Paris’s heroes.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Chat hurriedly told her as she raced into the kitchen. Unable to stop her, he put forty euros on the counter. “That should cover it.”

“That’s generous,” Ladybug said, “but you don’t have to spend this much to impress me.” She thought of how much fabric she could buy with the money.

After a moment, the lady put down a box of pastries, a brown bag, and two to-go cups of coffee on the counter. “You don’t have to pay,” the lady told Chat Noir when she saw the money.

“Think of it as a gift then,” Chat replied. “A thank-you from the heroes of Paris for serving us so close to closing time.”

“Thank you, Chat Noir,” the lady said. “This is very generous of you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Chat said, picking up the food. He turned to leave, then looked back and waved with the bag in one hand. “Have a good week.”

Ladybug followed Chat Noir out of the shop. “I think you made her day,” she commented.

“Now it’s time to make your day,” Chat said.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that came across the way you meant it to.”

* * *

Next Chat Noir led her to the Eiffel Tower. “Would you like to look over the city while we eat?”

“That would be… lovely,” Ladybug said. She was unable to find any basic fault with the idea, even if he wanted it to be romantic and she thought of him as a friend. The sincere look on his face was hard to say no to.

She threw her yoyo and pulled them up onto the beams of the tower. “Let’s eat,” she said, sitting down on the edge, kicking her feet in the open air.

Opening the box, Chat Noir handed her a dark chocolate macaron with gold leaf. “Here you go.”

“Gold leaf?” She looked at it in awe, scared to ruin it by eating it.

“Only the best for my lady,” Chat Noir said. “Go ahead, try it.”

He watched her take a bite. She closed her eyes and leaned back, raising a hand to her lips. “That is heavenly.”

Looking pleased, he opened the bag and pulled out two jars and two spoons. “How would you like some of this?”

“What is it?” Ladybug asked, taking one from Chat Noir. She opened it and looked at the brown substance, topped with what appeared to be whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

“A surprise,” he said, opening his and sticking his spoon in. “Try it.”

“You don’t know either,” Ladybug noted with a smile. She tried it and made a pleased sound. “This mousse is delicious.”

* * *

After finishing the deserts, Ladybug sipped her coffee and looked at Chat Noir, who seemed slightly nervous.

“Well?” Ladybug asked.

Her partner jumped. “Well what?”

“Don’t you have something to ask me?” She leaned toward him.

“Did you like our date?” Chat asked. “Wasn’t it purr-fect?”

She made a face at the pun, then rested a hand on his. “I enjoyed it, but I still don’t love you.”

“That’s okay,” he said, smiling slightly. “You liked it.”

“I like spending time with you, Chat,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. It was a friendly gesture, but he perked up. “I like you. You don’t need to impress me by spending so much money.”

“I’ll remember that, my lady,” he replied. “Especially for our date tomorrow.”

Six more days. She wasn’t sure whether it would be dreadful or enjoyable. Nonetheless, she said, “I’m looking forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference this is day 0 because I forget and can't count


	2. Sunday, February 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> officially this is day one, even though it's chapter two

“I need ideas, Plagg,” Adrien said, pacing in his room the next morning. “Ladybug didn’t like our date.”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “This will cost you good camembert,” he complained. “I don’t see why you care so much about Ladybug.”

“I’ll give you as much cheese as you want if your suggestions work,” Adrien said, and Plagg instantly stopped complaining and nodded.

The kwami floated in front of Adrien lazily. “Take her to a gourmet cheese tasting. That would make me fall in love with you.”

“Plagg, be serious. Not everything is about cheese.” He ignored the wounded look on Plagg’s face.

“Give her flowers?” Plagg suggested.

“That’s too simple. I need something she really likes, loves even. Something considerate and grand and so wonderful it will sweep her off her feet and into my arms.”

Plagg coughed, pretending Adrien’s dramatic tone was making him sick. “I can’t stand listening to this. That cheese had better be good.”

“Be serious. I need your advice, Plagg,” Adrien said. He really did. He didn’t know what would win over Ladybug’s heart.

“Why don’t you just ask her?” Plagg asked.

Shocked, Adrien exclaimed, “I can’t do that! What would she think of me?” He proceeded to answer his own question. “She’d think I know nothing about her likes and dislikes, and that I’m not a good partner, and—”

Plagg interrupted. “Subtly, as Adrien, you idiot.”

“That’s a good idea.” He patted Plagg on the head, and Plagg flew out of his reach immediately after. “I’ll ask her tonight!” 

* * *

That night couldn’t come fast enough for Adrien. He did everything he was supposed to do, then snuck out as soon as he knew Ladybug would be patrolling on her own. Wearing a cap to conceal his identity, Adrien walked along the street until he saw a red figure jumping over the buildings. He called out, “Ladybug!”

Ladybug almost tripped as she landed abruptly on the rooftop above him. Her yoyo narrowly missed hitting her on the head, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Adrien?”

“Uh, hi,” he said, waving awkwardly.

“It’s so nice to see you.” Glancing around, she asked, “Is there an akuma chasing you?” 

“No! I was just wondering if I could ask you a question,” Adrien replied nervously.

“Go ahead, ask me,” Ladybug said, leaning over the edge of the roof to look at him. She looked beautiful with the moonlight shining down on her.

Adrien took a deep breath and asked, “I was wondering, if you went on a date, what would you like—”

“You want to go out on a date with me?” Her face lit up. She seemed so happy that Adrien didn’t know what to say. “I can’t go out until Valentine’s Day. How about then?”

“Sure,” Adrien said before he could stop himself. He didn’t know what to think. Ladybug wanted to go out on a date with him. She was asking him out. Adrien, not Chat Noir. “Valentine’s Day.”

Before he could say anything else, Ladybug jumped up and down on the roof. “I have to meet Chat Noir soon, so I can’t talk more. Maybe I’ll swing by and talk to you next time I see you, or I’ll see you on Valentine’s Day. I’ll make sure you know where to find me. Okay?”

“Okay, that works.” Adrien was stunned but happy. “I’ll see you then! Bye!”

“Bye!” She swung off with renewed energy. He thought he heard a delighted squeal soon after.

Adrien needed yell at Plagg.

* * *

“Plagg, you set me up!” Adrien yelled at his snickering kwami. “You knew this would happen.”

Unable to stop laughing, Plagg replied, “I didn’t realize you would mess up this badly.”

“She’s in love with me, isn’t she?” It sounded real once he said it aloud, and his suspicions were confirmed by a louder laugh from Plagg. “So that’s why she keeps turning Chat Noir down.”

“Sometimes you can be very blind, Adrien,” Plagg told him.

“Plagg!” He sighed, then said in wonder, “The girl I love has been in love with me the entire time.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to have to put up with this forever,” Plagg muttered. 

“I still want her to fall in love with Chat Noir. What if she finds out that I’m Chat, and she doesn’t like me anymore?” The idea was a little scary.

Plagg didn’t answer.

“Or what if she’s a superfan?” He shuddered at the thought of one of his fans being Ladybug.

“She’s not one of them,” Plagg said before he could stop himself.

Adrien tried to grab his kwami, who flew out of his reach. “Who is she then?”

“Tikki would kill me if I told you,” Plagg said. “You need to figure that out yourself. Maybe you can figure it out on that date you’re late for.”

“The date! I’m supposed to be there already.” He pulled out a piece of cheese from his pocket, barely waited for Plagg to eat it, and then transformed. 

* * *

Chat Noir showed up to the date with a bouquet of the highest-quality roses he could find on such short notice. “Red roses for the most beautiful red bug.”

“Cheesy,” she joked, smelling the roses. They had a delicate sweet aroma that Chat knew she liked, despite her complaints about him always trying to bring her flowers. “What are we going to do tonight?”

“What do you want to do?” Chat Noir asked, trying to sound flirty and not like he didn’t have a plan.

“Hmm…” Ladybug played with her yoyo as she thought. “I was thinking…”

“Yes?” Chat leaned toward her. He wanted to know her idea. He hoped it was something romantic.

“Why don’t you race me across Paris?” She spun her yoyo around, looking ready to take off.

“Oh.” He drooped a little, but he understood. “Don’t you want to spend some time closer to me?”

“Afterwards, we can have some ice cream,” Ladybug told him.

“Sweetheart’s Ice Cream?” Chat Noir suggested. He knew her ice cream would look like Adrien, not Chat Noir, and tried not to look disappointed. “We could share one.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. Simple, inexpensive.”

“But we’re sharing it?” Even if she was in love with his civilian self, and had set up a date with him, Chat intended to make this as romantic as he could. Maybe he’d woo her into loving him as Chat Noir too. Otherwise… no, he didn’t want to think about that.

After a moment, Ladybug nodded, looking a little guilty. “I gave you a week, so I’ll try to be fair. I guess we can share it.”

Fair? He knew that she didn’t have to tell him about her date with Adrien, but he wished she would. This was probably on him for pushing her to let him take her out on a date every day for a week, after she’d turned down his advances every time. He’d never had a chance, and he’d never accepted it until now. At least he’d be able date her as Adrien. “Great! Let’s go,” he said as enthusiastically as he could.

* * *

Taking another spoonful of ice cream from his side of the dish, Chat Noir looked at Ladybug enjoying her ice cream. There was a happy lightness around her that he assumed was from her planned date with Adrien.

“Are you falling in love with me at all? Will we have a date for Valentine’s Day?” It was a bad way of introducing the topic, but he couldn’t just give his identity away.

“Oh.” Her face fell, and she looked at him seriously. “About that…”

He pretended to look surprised and didn’t have to pretend to look sad. “No?”

“I…” She couldn’t look him in the eye. “Adrien asked me out on a date.”

He hadn’t. She’d asked herself out on a date with him, misunderstanding his question out of eagerness and hope. “And you said yes?”

She nodded. “He’s the one I’m in love with. Not you, Chat… I’m sorry, but I can’t change that. And I didn’t want to hurt you, but I can’t lead you on forever.”

“Are we not going to have any more dates?” He didn’t know the answer to that.

“I said I’d give you a week, and I’m going to give you a week. But after that, that’s it. I’ll go out with Adrien.” It was bittersweet hearing her say that.

Chat Noir smiled at her and took her hand. “I’ll just have to make the most of this.”


	3. Monday, February 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day two I guess?

“Adrien asked me out on a date,” Marinette said when she woke up the next morning. She rolled over and screamed into her pillow. “I can’t believe it!”

Tikki hovered over her, watching. “I’m happy for you, Marinette. How does Chat Noir feel about this?”

Sitting up, Marinette went quiet for a moment. “He accepted it,” she said. “Better than I thought he would.”

With a nod, Tikki drifted down onto the blanket beside her. “That’s good.”

“I’m still going to go out with Chat Noir for the rest of the week because I told him I would, and then he’ll stop trying to flirt with me,” Marinette said.

A troubled look in her eyes, Tikki asked, “Wouldn’t that be leading him on?”

Pausing, Marinette thought about it. He had to know he never had a chance with her. That was the entire point of this week. “No more than what I’m already doing, no.” She was not going to feel bad about what she was doing. This was good for her and Chat Noir. He would move on if she was dating Adrien, right?

“Can I ask you something?” Tikki looked up at Marinette, visibly worried. Marinette nodded, and the kwami continued, “Do you think you could ever love Chat Noir?”

“He’s just a friend,” Marinette insisted. “He’s flirty and makes a lot of puns. He’s not serious, even during battles sometimes. Maybe he’s cute and funny, and he’s a good fighter, and he helps me, but…” She trailed off with a sigh. “He’s not Adrien.”

Tikki shook her head and started, “Maybe…” Seeming to reconsider, she stopped abruptly. “Okay.”

* * *

At school, Marinette found it harder than usual to focus on the teacher instead of Adrien. Adrien, who she, as Ladybug, had a date with. One time, he glanced over at her while she was gazing at him, and she fumbled her notebook, dropping it on the ground. He looked away, visibly alarmed, while Alya snickered.

Yet, there was an odd sense of relief that he seemed to be in love with her as Ladybug, and she could impress him as her superhero alter ego. As Ladybug, he wouldn’t think of her as the clumsy, tongue-tied, plain Marinette. He’d ask her to marry him, and she’d say yes, and—

“Marinette?” At some point while she’d been staring off into space, Adrien had walked over to her and started talking.

“Ah!” She fell out of her chair, only for Adrien to catch her with surprisingly quick reflexes. Her face was burning as she looked up at him. His arms felt nice and oddly familiar around her as he helped her up and she almost tripped over her own feet and his.

“I’m so sorry!” Adrien exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Marinette struggled to respond. “You’re okay- uh- it’s okay.”

He smiled at her, and she melted a little internally. “I was wondering if you and Alya wanted to work with me and Nino on the group project.”

“Yes,” Alya said when the connection between Marinette’s lovestruck brain and her mouth gave out. “Marinette and I would _love_ to.”

* * *

Ladybug had received a message from Chat Noir earlier saying that he’d be late, so Marinette was designing in her room after finishing her homework. Suddenly there was a tap on her window. She looked up and saw a familiar face grinning at her through the glass. Ah, that explained why Chat was going to be late. “Chat Noir?” she asked, opening the window. “What are you doing here?”

“I had a question for you,” he said. “Can I come in?”

“Is that the question?” Marinette laughed and stepped aside to let him in. “Sure.”

“Thanks,” Chat Noir said, stepping into her room. He took in the messy, lived-in space while Marinette watched. This wasn’t the first time he’d been here, especially since they’d sorted out Marinette’s supposed crush on him, but he seemed more nervous this time. “I wanted… um, I wanted to know how to impress a date.”

“Who’s the lucky girl?” Marinette asked. She knew she was supposedly the lucky girl, but she was in love with Adrien, and she and Chat both knew that.

“Um…” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t know if I should say…”

“It’s fine if you don’t tell me. What does she like?” A small part of her wondered if she could sabotage Chat Noir’s chances with her alter ego by purposefully giving Chat something she wouldn’t like, but that seemed mean and unnecessary. 

“Well…” Chat Noir smiled and then began listing off a lot more than Marinette was expecting.

Caught off guard, she began taking notes on her phone, realizing as she did how well Chat Noir knew her. “You know her really well, don’t you?” she asked softly when he was done.

“Because she’s amazing and I want to know everything about her and what makes her happy.” Chat Noir smiled, and Marinette realized that maybe Chat Noir was genuine, and maybe he cared more than she thought, and maybe she would love him if she hadn’t fallen for Adrien first.

But as it was, she didn’t love him, and she tried to deflect. Looking up from the list on her phone, she cheerfully told him, “I think I know the purr-fect thing to impress Ladybug.”

“That’s pun-derful.” Then he paused. “I never mentioned Ladybug.”

“I know, you’re just that obvious.” She laughed slightly and walked to the door. “What do you think about the Valentine’s Day treats downstairs in the bakery? Or a ladybug charm bracelet? I could make one to give to her. Or a book she might like. Or getting a band to perform for you two. I think you mentioned something about Kitty Section. I happen to design for them and could put in a good word if you’d like.” 

“What if you taught me how to bake something?” Chat Noir blurted out, surprising Marinette. “I could also help with the bracelet.”

“You want to bake something and help make a bracelet?” Marinette paused, mouth open, then continued, “You can, but why?”

Chat Noir nodded. “Even though she may not love me, even though we’re going to stay just friends, I want to show how much I do care. Maybe she’ll see that my feelings aren’t shallow and maybe she’ll fall in love with me for who I am, but even if she doesn’t, I want to do something like this for her. I get this week to give her the gifts she deserves, the flowers and chocolates she usually refuses to accept. And then after this I’ll stop because I know she wants me to, if she doesn’t fall in love with me.”

She heard the way he wasn’t trying to force her to fall in love, his acceptance of her feelings, and she relaxed a little. “That’s really sweet, Chat Noir. When do you want to come back?”

“Does tomorrow work?” he asked. “I can do tomorrow.”

“So can I. Come by the front of the store any time after school tomorrow and ask for me.” She wondered how well he baked. “I’ll pick out a recipe before then.”

“That’s great.” He turned to leave and then spun around and asked, “Can I also pick up something from the bakery for tonight?”

* * *

In Ladybug’s hands was a familiar box of pastries that she had just helped pick out as Marinette. “You keep trying to win me over with sweets.”

“Because you’re just that sweet.” Chat Noir winked, and Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I deserve a treat for that, don’t you think, my lady?”

He tried to pick up one of the pastries and Ladybug pulled it away. “I am not rewarding puns with sugar. That would just encourage you.”

Chat put on his most innocent-looking kitten eyes. “Please?”

“No.” She looked away.

“Just one?” 

“Not a chance.” Her joking resolve was faltering when suddenly he snatched the box away from her. “Chat! Get back here!”

“You should’ve given me one, Bugaboo!” The box under one arm, baton in the other, he took off.

Ladybug laughed and chased after him. Rooftop to rooftop, down a street, until she managed to pass him and hid, waiting. When he slowed down, glancing around, she flicked her wrist, the yoyo wrapping around the box and pulling it up to her.

“I win,” she declared, opening the box. Ladybug picked up an éclair and made a show of taking a bite. “Mm, these are so good.” After a moment she gave up the act. “Come try one.”

“Really?” Chat sounded surprised, and it occurred to her that maybe at some point he’d started thinking she was serious.

“Of course.” She handed the box to him when he landed beside her. “You can have as many as you want. And then we could go for another moonlight rooftop run and maybe listen to some music. How does that sound?” 

He beamed at her. “That sounds perfect.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but these scenes keep getting out of hand


	4. Tuesday, February 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 3

“It’s time for lunch. Are you two coming?” Alya asked as she and Nino started walking toward the door.

Marinette stood up to follow them. “Sure, Alya.”

“Oh, I have a little left to finish up on this part of our project,” Adrien said. He’d been distracted during class, thinking about Ladybug and his plan for visiting Marinette after school. His friend gave good advice, and he kept wanting to ask her for help with Adrien’s date with Ladybug too. “I think I’ll join you guys when I’m done.”

“We shouldn’t leave you here alone, dude,” Nino said. “Want me to—”

Giving Nino a strange look, Alya cut him off. “Actually, I think Marinette would like to keep you company.” She nudged Marinette and whispered something in the girl’s ear that made her turn red.

That would be a perfect opportunity for Adrien to ask for Marinette’s advice. “Really? I’d like to have Marinette stay here and help me with this. Do you want to?”

Somehow, Marinette turned brighter red and squeaked, nodding her agreement when Alya elbowed her.

“Great! We’ll see you two lovebirds later.” Alya grabbed Nino’s hand and pulled him out of the classroom before Marinette could recover enough to yell the journalist’s name.

Adrien wished Marinette would act more normal around him, but he didn’t know what made his friend so uncomfortable around him. “Let’s finish up this part of the project, okay?”

* * *

“You didn’t have to do so much of this,” Adrien insisted. “I knew what I was doing, kind of.”

“Did you really?” Marinette laughed when Adrien shook his head. “Thought so. I’m just happy I could help. It is a group project, after all.”

“Thanks, Marinette. You’re a good friend.” Adrien smiled and was happy when Marinette did too. “Uh, can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, of course,” Marinette said.

“I have a date on Valentine’s Day, and I want everything to be perfect for her. I was wondering if you have any advice, since you’re really good at organizing things for people.” He quickly added, “Not that I want you to organize it, I just want to hear what you have to say. I know you have to have a lot to do, you’re so busy helping everyone.” Including him, as Chat Noir. He still had to stop by the bakery later for a baking lesson.

Marinette stayed quiet for a moment before replying. “It depends on what she likes. Are you going to take her to a movie? Are you going to have a nice dinner with her? Does your father know? Are you going to wear a disguise? What are you going to wear anyways, something formal or casual?”

“Casual,” Adrien said, struggling to keep up. “Very casual.”

“But very romantic. You need music. You could sing to her. Serenade her. And you need a gift. Like chocolates, or maybe something savory, or sweet and savory, and flowers, and maybe something heart-shaped, and something red. A lot of red. Maybe a red gift wrapped with a red bow. She’d like it.” Marinette was starting to ramble as she drew in the notebook that had found its way into her hands. “Like this.”

Adrien’s hand brushed against hers as he took the notebook from her to get a closer look at the page. There was a checklist of suggestions: chocolate, flowers, cake, candles, music, serenading, gift, red, heart, ice cream, ring, necklace. He flipped the page back on accident and caught a glimpse of a sketch of a boy who looked like him down on one knee in front of a girl with an odd resemblance to Marinette, who was holding flowers while he held out a box to her. He flipped back to the page with the list rapidly, smoothing it down. Marinette’s private drawings were none of his business. “You really think she would like this?”

“I would,” she replied, then startled. “I- I mean I’m sure she would.”

“If you’d like it, then I’m sure she’d like it. Maybe I should test out my ideas on you and hope you like it.” Adrien hadn’t meant to say that. Where had that come from?

Marinette didn’t respond, just staring at him. Adrien was scared he’d messed up and made things awkward.

Clearing his throat, he said, “You have very good ideas compared to me, so...” He trailed off. “Can I get a picture of the list?”

“Of course!” Marinette sounded extremely cheerful.

“Thanks.” Adrien took a picture of the list, then handed back the notebook. 

He was about to say something else when Alya suddenly walked in. “There you two are. I thought either Marinette had died or you two snuck off together.”

“What?” Adrien glanced over at Marinette for a clue, only to find her turning red again.

Before Alya could say anything else, Nino raced into the room, apparently having chased Alya all the way there. “We were wondering if you two wanted to join us for the end of lunch.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said.

Adrien didn’t know why, but he was disappointed that he didn’t get to spend more time with Marinette. At least Chat Noir would be able to visit her later. He was looking forward to it.

* * *

Chat Noir walked up to the bakery a little after closing time knocked. Marinette rushed over from where she was cleaning up behind the counter. She unlocked the door and let him in. “Glad to see you’re not a cat burglar,” she joked.

“Are you always this punny?” Chat asked, amused. “I like it.”

“Only around my favorite stray.” There was a long pause before Marinette laughed, which Chat found odd. Abruptly, she said, “Hey, wait here. I need to tell my parents you’re here. Go find an apron unless you want to be wearing flour.”

While she dashed off, Chat Noir put on an apron that covered most of his costume and tried not to think too much about what had just happened. “Come on Chat Noir, you’re here for Ladybug. That’s all,” he muttered to himself.

After a minute, Marinette jogged back into the kitchen and grabbed an apron. The design on it was cute, and the small MDC logo on it told him Marinette had made it herself. She told him they had a few hours, and then outlined the desserts she’d decided they should make for Ladybug. “At first, I thought I could show you the heart macaron recipe, but I always overfold the meringue so I don’t think we’ll do that. Instead I was thinking we could bake cream puffs, with a nice light filling, maybe a little savory if you want a break from the sweetness, because my parents taught me how to make pâte à choux when we had that huge order a while back. And then heart-shaped chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel or strawberry-rose jam filling – we could do three or six of each, depending on what you want. And I know the perfect way to top it with pink or red spun sugar and edible glitter and maybe even a sugared rose petal.”

The only reason Chat Noir understood half of what she’d just said was from watching baking competitions. “That sounds great, but a little complicated,” he said. “Some savory, some sweet. I could come back and help decorate the cupcakes tomorrow if we don’t finish tonight because I don’t think I’ll be giving her them tonight. Too much sweet stuff after the éclairs.”

“I think that’ll work,” Marinette said. “And I’ll get to see you again. You know, to ask you how it went.” When Chat Noir nodded, she continued, “We can put the cupcakes in the oven first, and then we can start the pâte à choux.”

They began working together. Chat Noir gently cracked the eggs while Marinette got a bottle of milk. “Want a saucer of this, kitty?” she asked, and he accidentally dropped a piece of eggshell in the bowl while laughing.

Then Marinette left him to stir the wet ingredients together while she got the sack of flour. “Next we need to start combining the dry ingredie-ah!”

While she was trying to open the sack, it burst open and coated everything in a layer of flour. Chat Noir doubled over, coughing and laughing through the white cloud. “Now I see why I needed the apron,” he wheezed.

“Your costume is covered in flour,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Magic will take care of this. But you’re covered in flour too.” He reached up and brushed some flour off Marinette’s nose, and he heard her breath hitch. Then, running his thumb over her flour-dusted cheek, he asked, “What if I help you clean up now?”

“We won’t have time to finish baking,” Marinette replied, voice barely above a whisper.

Chat Noir only realized what he was saying when he heard his own voice. “I guess I’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

“I guess you will,” Marinette replied.

* * *

“Herb and cheese filled cream puffs? Are you trying to woo me or Plagg?” Nonetheless, Ladybug took a bite of one. “These are still warm.” Still chewing, she closed her eyes and said, a hand over her mouth, “These are good. Really good. Try one.”

“I did, earlier. I made them.” He took one anyways, because he did like them. He’d given one to Plagg earlier after leaving the bakery, and Plagg had liked it too. Though of course he did, because it had cheese.

“All by yourself? I’m impressed.” Ladybug leaned forward and took another bite of the cream puff.

“No, I had some help. Remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the daughter of Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng at the bakery? She’s helped us with akumas before.” 

“I know her,” Ladybug said. “She helped you?”

“Yeah, I can’t tell a spatula from a whisk on my own,” Chat admitted.

Ladybug smiled at his honesty. “Seems you’re as good at baking as you are at puns.”

“You wound me,” he gasped in mock offense.

“You’re really good at baking,” Ladybug amended. “At least with a partner. What do you think of the baker’s daughter?” Her eyes didn’t waver from him as she waited for a response.

“Well, Marinette’s really nice, and helpful.” Then he started getting carried away. “And smart, witty, beautiful…” He caught himself and tried not to curl up into a ball. He wasn’t in love with Marinette. He wasn’t dating Marinette. He was in love with Ladybug and he was out on a date with Ladybug. “Just like you.”

Several expressions crossed Ladybug’s face in quick succession. He couldn’t make sense of them, but he saw her face taking on a pink tint under her mask. She pushed another cream puff into her mouth instead of responding.

They barely managed a conversation for a while before calling it an early night, and Chat Noir blamed himself. Usually he talked and joked freely and wasn’t confused and awkward. Not that Ladybug hadn’t behaved strangely herself. At least he had a few more days to sort this out. It was only Tuesday, and Valentine’s Day was on Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watch a lot of baking competitions, okay?


	5. Wednesday, February 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this, day four?

“What happened last night?” Marinette mumbled into her pillow. “With Chat Noir?”

“I don’t know,” Tikki admitted. “In the bakery, when he brushed the flour off your face…” The kwami trailed off, letting Marinette scream frustratedly into her pillow.

“I know, and after that there was the way he talked about me with Ladybug on our date. He sounded and acted like he loved me. I don’t get it. He’s always been in love with Ladybug. He’s really in love with Ladybug.” She tossed the pillow toward the foot of the bed and sat up. “And I still have the charm bracelet to keep beading for myself.”

Marinette glanced at the time. She was awake earlier than she usually was, and she was going to keep herself busy. Being more productive than she usually was this early in the morning, she rushed around her room, getting ready for school, then ran downstairs to get breakfast. Being productive, she told herself. That was all. She wasn’t distracting herself from her possible feelings for Chat Noir. That would be ridiculous. She didn’t have any feelings for Chat Noir.

“Marinette, I’m a little worried. You haven’t stopped for a second since you woke up,” Tikki said from her purse.

“Well I’m stopping now to look at a poster of Adrien,” Marinette replied, a little sharper than she meant to be. What was she getting defensive about?

Tikki sighed and stayed quiet.

* * *

“Marinette, do you want to stay back for a moment?” Adrien asked when the class was dismissed for lunch.

“Y-yeah,” Marinette stammered, wondering what this could be about.

“I came up with a few ideas for my date, and I wanted to check them with you,” Adrien said. “Particularly this song I might sing to her. Can I sing it to you?” Maybe it was Marinette’s imagination, but Adrien seemed nervous.

Not trusting herself to speak, Marinette nodded.

And then Adrien pulled out his phone, put it down on the desk, and tapped a button. Soft piano music began to play. Adrien began to hum along for a moment, then began to sing. Hesitant at first, his voice gradually became louder as he became more confident, and he began to move, purposeful graceful motions.

Then, still singing, he took her hand, and she blushed. She knew this was meant for Ladybug, not her, and she didn’t know if to be happy or sad or both. Another line of the song, and Adrien’s gaze didn’t waver from her. He pulled her close, and Marinette’s eyes widened, her face turning red. Marinette didn’t dare breathe, scared that the moment, which didn’t even belong to her, would end.

As Adrien finished the song, the last notes and chords fading out in the background, he didn’t step away. Neither did Marinette. They just stood there, close to each other, Adrien leaning in slightly as though for a kiss, until Adrien’s phone buzzed and he jumped. Marinette stumbled back, flailing, and crashed into a table.

“Are you okay?” Adrien asked. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Marinette said, then fled the room. 

* * *

Marinette’s mind was still racing when Chat Noir showed up to bake that night. She didn’t understand what had happened earlier with Adrien. But she didn’t have to think about that now. She had to think about Chat Noir, who had walked in smiling and joking and at times almost flirting. She had to think about how baking with Chat Noir was going.

And so far, it was going well.

“So the cupcakes are in the oven,” Marinette said. “And we need to start on the fillings. Or the macarons you want to make. Yeah, the macarons. We can give it time to rest, I’ll bake it tomorrow, and you can drop in to pick it up tomorrow night.”

“That sounds good. You do know best,” Chat Noir said. “So, where do we start?”

Marinette showed him how to get started, and they set to work making the macarons. “Now, if you hold this upside down over your head and it’s ready, it won’t fall out of the bowl,” she said. “Try it.”

“Are you sure?” Chat Noir picked up the bowl and stared at it doubtfully. “This isn’t a prank?”

“It’s not.” Marinette looked away to grab the food coloring, and she felt Chat Noir come up behind her. She looked up and saw the bowl over her head, the stiff peaks of meringue perilously suspended above her hair.

“I guess you’re right,” Chat said.

“Chat, give me that,” she said, trying to grab the bowl. He held it higher than she could reach, and she didn’t want to jump to grab it and risk ruining the delicate meringue. Dropping the food color, she turned around and accidentally ran into his chest. She hadn’t realized she was standing so close to him. But instead of stepping away, she crossed her arms and looked up at him. “Please?” 

And for the second time today, a blond teenage boy was looking down at her as though he wanted to kiss her. Chat Noir leaned toward her, and Marinette found herself almost pressed against the countertop. Then he set down the bowl behind her and took a step back, shaking his head.

Marinette stepped away from the counter and away from Chat Noir. “We should finish this up for the macarons,” she said, grabbing the food coloring again.

The rest of making the macarons was mostly uneventful while they ignored what had happened and tried to avoid bumping into each other. They made the fillings for the cupcakes, which were cooling on the counter.

“So what’s next?” Chat asked.

“See this here?” Marinette held up the pot of melted sugar. “We’re going to make spun sugar out of it.” She grabbed a small bowl and flipped it over. “Like this.” She used a fork to drizzle some of the sugar over the bowl.

“Can I try?” Chat Noir stepped up and accepted the fork as Marinette moved aside. He tried drizzling the sugar but ended up with a blob falling on the bowl. “This isn’t as easy as it looks.”

Amused, Marinette laughed, walked up behind him, and gently took his hand. “Like this.” She moved his hand to drizzle the sugar in a pattern over the back of the bowl, leaning in closer to him.

“I think I get it now,” Chat said, and she let go of his hand. He moved on to the next bowl and did the pattern over the back of it. “See?”

She looked up at him, becoming aware of how close they were again. Oh. “Very nice,” she squeaked out, mentally kicking herself.

“What are you talking about, me or the sugar?” He winked. He was so close, leaning towards her. Wasn’t he in love with Ladybug? He was just messing with her. Yes, that was it.

“You, obviously,” she said. She told herself she was just messing with him. “You’re paw-sitively purr-fect. Now do you want to help fill and glaze the cupcakes?”

She ignored how stunned he looked.

* * *

Ladybug was looking forward to the cupcakes. After all, she’d helped make them. What she was not expecting was for Chat Noir to show up looking guilty. Had she hurt him as Marinette? She really wished she hadn’t, and she wondered what she could do to fix that, kiss him?

Where had that thought come from?

“What’s wrong?” she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

He looked at her, pulled away a little to set down the box of cupcakes, and then buried his head in his hands. “I messed up,” he mumbled.

“The cupcakes can’t be that bad,” Ladybug joked. “Did you have fun making them?”

Chat Noir didn’t look up, instead becoming more distraught. He ran one hand through his hair, somehow making it messier than usual. “That’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t understand.

He looked up. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I can’t mess things up with two girls in one day.”

Nothing he was saying made sense. He didn’t mess things up with Marinette. If anything, she did that. Was that what he was referring to? And what could he say that would mess things up with Ladybug?

“If you don’t want to tell me,” she decided to say, “we could do something else. Sit here, or go for a run, or do something romantic.”

“Something romantic?” Like at the bakery, her partner looked stunned. “Like what?”

Ladybug shrugged. “You can pick.” She thought about adding “or we can dance in the moonlight and kiss under the stars.”

There was silence, and then, sounding shocked but hopeful, Chat Noir asked, “What do you mean, dance and kiss? Do you love me, my lady?” 

“Just Cataclysm me,” she muttered.

“You didn’t say no.” He grinned.

“Because I don’t know anymore,” Ladybug admitted. “Is it possible to love two people? Adrien, and you? To have enough love for both of you, without neglecting either, and to have enough time for that too?”

Chat Noir put an arm around her, pausing to make sure she was okay with the contact before pulling her a little closer. “I think so,” he said quietly. Then again, louder. “I think so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to procrastinate aaaaaaaa 
> 
> also thanks for all the lovely comments!


	6. Thursday, February 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day five of these two idiots in love

“I’m so confused, Plagg,” Adrien said.

“You’re in love with Ladybug and Marinette. I don’t see why you just fall in love with cheese instead. It’s so much simpler.” Plagg laughed, crumbs of cheese spraying in Adrien’s direction.

“Plagg!” Then Adrien sighed. “I don’t know why I never saw Marinette like that before.”

“Because you’re blind,” Plagg replied immediately. “I can’t believe I put up with this.”

“But what am I supposed to do now? I have to choose, and I’ll probably choose Ladybug, but she’s confused about her feelings too now. What if I mess things up by trying to date her as Chat Noir, or as Adrien? And then there’s Marinette.”

Plagg muttered something around a mouthful of cheese that sounded like it started with “they’re” and ended with “you idiot.”

“She’s so sweet, especially around Chat Noir. But she deserves a boyfriend who doesn’t wear a mask. But she’s so awkward around Adrien. And she ran out of the room yesterday. Do you think she’d be interested in me?”

Plagg almost choked on his cheese, then dissolved into laughter.

“Plagg?”

His only response was more laughter.

* * *

Marinette was late to class, and she took her seat without glancing at Adrien. Alya leaned over and asked her a question, and Marinette turned red and vigorously shook her head. Alya looked a little confused and motioned in Adrien’s direction. Adrien waved. Marinette put her head down on her desk.

“What was that about?” Adrien asked Nino, who just sighed.

“I can’t say anything, dude. Alya would kill me.” He went back to his worksheet.

Adrien took a deep breath and asked, “Do you think Marinette is cute?”

The point of Nino’s pencil broke. “Do you think she’s cute?” 

“You first,” Adrien said, buying himself some time.

“Everyone who’s into girls thinks she’s cute.” Nino pulled out his pencil sharpener. “You are into girls, right? You’ve talked about girls with me before.”

“Yes,” Adrien said.

“So you think Marinette is cute?”

“Maybe? I don’t know.” He did know, he didn’t want to admit it. “I was singing to her yesterday and—”

“You,” he began loudly, causing Alya to glance over. More quietly he continued, “were what?”

“To get her thoughts on the song for a date with someone else.”

“You’re hopeless,” Nino muttered so quietly that Adrien knew he wasn’t meant to hear it. “You were singing to her and decided she might be cute?”

“I pulled her in and almost kissed her, and then she ran out of the room.”

“You what?” Nino was loud enough that Alya glanced over. Nino shook his head at her and she looked away. “I feel bad for Marinette.”

“I know, I messed up. She ran away from me, she must hate me,” Adrien mumbled.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Nino said. “But you’re going to have to ask her yourself.”

And he would, just not today.

* * *

Chat Noir took in Marinette’s room, as lived-in as ever, with a smile. This time there was a box of macarons, topped with a bow, on the table next to her jewelry beading kit.

“I made a Ladybug charm bracelet, but then I got inspired and made a Chat Noir one too,” Marinette said sheepishly as she held them out to him.

“I love them, thanks,” Chat Noir said, picking up the Ladybug bracelet. “It’ll be nice to give my lady a lucky charm.” Then he looked at the Chat Noir one, with black and green beads, and little cat and paw and heart charms. “But what do I do with this one?”

“Keep it,” Marinette said with a sweet smile. “It’s a gift.”

“Why did you pick these charms?” Chat Noir asked as he held up the bracelet, examining each little detail, trying to make conversation. He didn’t want to run off so fast after barely seeing Marinette all day. It had been a little cowardly not to approach her and ask why she’d run off yesterday. She seemed okay though. He promised himself he’d talk to her tomorrow at school.

“Well, I picked the black cat because you’re Chat Noir. And then I picked the paw because that’s kind of your symbol, you know? And then I picked a heart because you love with all your heart. And another heart, because you’re loved.” As she spoke, she touched each of the charms, then took the bracelet from him.

Chat Noir looked at her. She sounded so sincere, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “How do you know I’m not an unloved stray?”

Marinette took a deep breath and said, “Because I know I love you.”

“I thought you didn’t love me,” Chat Noir said.

“There are a lot of kinds of love, Chat, and I can’t explain it, not now. But I can say that I love the real you. You’re sweet and sincere and funny.” She spun the bracelet in her hands, then undid the clasp and fasted it around his wrist. “And I don’t know how things are going with Ladybug, but I hope it works out for you.”

First Ladybug, now Marinette? The two girls he liked, and they both liked him. When had this happened? Despite the whirlwind of emotions inside of him, he thanked Marinette. With a kiss on the cheek, she handed him the box of macarons. “I promise you these will win her over.”

He opened the box. “Purr-haps they would win you over?” he joked, picking up a macaron. She opened her mouth to speak, and he pushed the macaron into her mouth.

Her eyes widened, and she pulled the macaron out of her mouth. “Chat!” she called after him, and already using his baton to get a safe distance away from her, he waved back.

* * *

Adrien acknowledged that what he was doing was risky, but it wasn’t like Marinette would find out. He held the box of macarons delicately and sought out where he knew Ladybug would be waiting. “Ladybug!” he called when he saw her.

“Adrien!” Ladybug landed beside him quickly. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see you before our date,” he said. “And bring you a gift.” He held out the box.

Ladybug looked stunned to see the box. She opened it and took in the macarons. “These look great. These are for me?”

“Of course,” he said. “You’re so sweet I thought I’d give you something sweet. And give you a hint of what I’m planning for our date.”

“You’re planning something? I thought I’d be planning something.” She sounded a little distracted, but Adrien was so nervous he kept talking.

“You plan enough as it is, saving Paris. Let me do something nice for you.” He began to hum the tune he’d sung to Marinette, and Ladybug relaxed a little. “I could serenade you.”

Ladybug just nodded.

“If you like the tune, I’ll sing it to you on Valentine’s Day.” He pulled out his phone, hit play quickly, and pocketed it again. Began to sing, moving almost on autopilot, focused on Ladybug, thinking faintly of Marinette.

Before he knew it, the tune faded out, and he was looking down at Ladybug, whose lips were slightly parted as she looked up at him breathlessly. He felt her move against him as she tiptoed and pressed a kiss against his lips. His hands rose to cup her face as he kissed her back.

Finally she stepped away and picked up the box of macarons that she’d set down while he was singing. “I should be going. I have to meet with Chat Noir, remember? I’m really looking forward to our… our date on Sunday,” she stammered.

“Oh yeah,” Adrien said, as if he wasn’t Chat Noir. “I actually have somewhere to be too.” 

“Yeah, you do,” Ladybug said. “Bye, Adrien!” She spun her yoyo around a few times, clutched the box of macarons close, and swung off. 

* * *

Chat Noir arrived at the meeting spot first, which was odd since Ladybug had left for it first. Then she showed up without the box of macarons, and it made sense. Maybe his mind was just a blur from this entire week. The romance, the feelings, the complications of secret identities. It was all a bit much, more than he’d expected when he was given the chance to date Ladybug for a week. He had to treat Adrien as someone totally different from Chat Noir, but he was still the same person, with the same feelings, as both.

“Hey, you look purr-etty cheerful,” Chat Noir said before he could stop himself.

A guilty look crossed Ladybug’s face before she smiled. “Do I? Well, I guess I should tell you, I was just with Adrien. He brought me a box of delicious macarons and then he started singing this really nice song. It went like this.” She half-hummed, half-sung a little bit of the song, looking very pleased and content. “I’d like to hear it again.” 

She’d said more than he’d expected from her, but he was glad to hear that she liked the time she’d spent with him. “That’s really nice.”

She nodded. “Chat, do you think Adrien would understand if I wanted to see both of you?”

Why was she asking him? Did she know he was Adrien? No, she couldn’t know. He was being a little paranoid. This was a question she just wanted his thoughts on. He answered very carefully. “I would understand, and I’d hope he would too. But if you want to date Adrien, I’d understand.” Would he really understand if he wasn’t Adrien? Yes, he knew he would. “I’ve always understood. I’ve had my week. You started to like me back, which I didn’t expect, but it’s fine if you don’t want to pursue that. We’ll still be partners and friends, just like always.”

Ladybug nodded. “Thanks, Chat.” She pulled him into a hug. “You’re the best.”

“No, my lady, you are.” She pulled away from him a little when he said that, then kissed him impulsively. After a stunned moment, he kissed her back, the same way he had earlier as Adrien.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to do that,” he gasped when the kiss ended.

“I didn’t think I’d ever want to do that,” Ladybug said, shaking her head. After a moment she broke down laughing. “I can’t believe this.”

“Neither can I,” Chat Noir said. Finally he pulled out the bracelet Marinette had helped him make for Ladybug, and held it up. “I almost forgot about this, but here. A lucky charm bracelet for my lucky charm.”

“It’s beautiful, Chat,” Ladybug said, holding out her hand. He fastened the bracelet on her wrist, letting his hands linger on hers longer than he had to when she didn’t pull away.

He kissed the back of her hand, loving the way she looked at him. “Nothing is as beautiful as you.”


	7. Friday, February 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day six

“He can’t know I know. Can he?” Despite having successfully held off a crisis last night, Marinette was stress-eating Chat Noir’s – Adrien’s! – macarons and pacing around her room.

“No, but you’re going to have to tell him, Marinette,” Tikki said.

Marinette paused her pacing and looked at her kwami. “I’ll tell him tonight. I just need time to process this and figure out how to tell him.”

Tikki nodded understandingly.

Marinette went back to pacing. “Want a macaron? They’re really good.”

“I’ve already had two,” Tikki said. “Remember?”

She did remember, but she was nervous. Running a hand through her hair, Marinette nodded. “Right, you did.”

“You also need to talk to Adrien at school,” Tikki reminded her. “Because of Wednesday. He doesn’t know how you felt about that.”

“I know, I’m just nervous because I don’t want to mess this up.” Marinette sighed. “I can’t walk up to Adrien and say, ‘Hi Adrien, I ran away because I love you.’ That would go so well.”

“You’ll figure something out,” Tikki said. “Now hurry up, you’re going to be late for school.”

She checked the time and jumped. “I’m already late.” Running around her room, she grabbed everything she needed, almost tripped running down the stairs, and grabbed a croissant before saying goodbye to her parents and rushing out the door.

Halfway to school she realized she was still wearing the Ladybug bracelet and slipped it into her purse. She couldn’t let Adrien see it yet.

* * *

It was time for lunch, and Marinette knew she had to talk to Adrien.

“You’re really not going to ask Adrien out? At all?” Alya whispered to her.

Alya didn’t know that she had, in fact, been on several dates with Adrien, and that he had wanted it. Marinette just shook her head. Then she glanced back at the classroom. Adrien was still in there. “Hey, you go on ahead with Nino, okay? I left something in the classroom.” She began walking back, waiting until Alya was out of sight to stop right outside the door.

After a minute, Adrien walked out, not seeing her. “Hi, Adrien,” she said, trying to calm herself down. He was in love with her. She’d kissed him. This wasn’t difficult. She just had to… not mess this up. “I- I wanted to talk to you.”

He looked relieved. “I actually wanted to talk to you too.”

“About why I ran off?” Marinette filled in. He nodded. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to- I wanted to explain.”

“If you want to tell me, I’d like to know why,” Adrien said. “And I want to apologize. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable. I can explain.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked. “I’m not uncomfortable, I’m in love with you.”

She hadn’t meant to say that, not like that at least. And now Adrien was staring at her. She might as well have told him she was Ladybug while she was at it.

Finally, he broke the silence. “That’s why you ran off?”

“I didn’t know how to handle it, knowing it was for some other girl.” For her, but not for her. The boy she loved, but he loved a different version of her. “You were so close to me, you weren’t stepping away, I embarrassed myself by falling over a table.”

“You were cute, and I wanted to kiss you,” he said in a rush. He took a breath and added, “There, I said it.”

“You what?” Marinette hadn’t expected to hear it directly from Adrien like that. “You wanted to…”

“I wanted to kiss you,” he repeated. Then he took her hand and continued, “I like you a lot, Marinette, and I realized when I was singing to you and looking into your eyes that… that I might love you.” 

“Oh,” she whispered. All those little moments between her and Adrien and her and Chat Noir were becoming so much clearer. “What about the other girl?” Ladybug. He loved Ladybug. He was going out with Ladybug. What was he going to do about that?

“It’s possible to love two people, and to find time for both of them,” he said. Like she’d said. Like she’d told Chat Noir, talking about him and Adrien. “And if she said yes, and you said yes, I might not have to choose.”

She clasped her other hand over both of his. She didn’t know if she’d ever felt this calm around him, even though her heart felt like it could explode. And she only had one word for him. “Yes.”

* * *

Marinette was disappointed that neither she nor Chat Noir had an excuse for him to stop by, but she kept glancing at her window and playing with her new bracelet nonetheless. She almost wished she could have walked up to Adrien earlier and asked him if he had one that matched. But she had to be more tactful and careful than that, because their identities were secret for a reason.

“It’s time for me to go talk to him,” Marinette sighed. She felt nervous that it might ruin things between them if she told Chat Noir she knew his identity.

She transformed and started making her way to her meeting place with Chat Noir. Along the way, a burst of inspiration hit her, and she swung down into a flower shop to buy a bouquet of red roses, tied with a red ribbon. When she got to the spot where she was supposed to meet Chat Noir, she held the bouquet behind her back, leaning slightly against the wall behind her.

Chat Noir arrived a minute later, looking happy. “Nice to see you, my lady. What’s that behind your back?”

Pulling out the bouquet, Ladybug said, “A gift. You’re not the only one who can give gifts.”

“Flowers from Ladybug? What an honor.” He took the flowers from her and kissed her hand.

A warmth spread through her as he did, and she considered kissing him. But first she had to tell him the truth. She took a shaky breath and said, “I have something I need to tell you though.”

“What?” He looked almost scared of the news, playing nervously with the flowers.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, and I really hope this doesn’t change things between us, and I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to find out, it just happened, but—”

Chat Noir cut off her nervous rambling with a pleading look. “Please just tell me.”

She nodded and said, as evenly as she could, “I know you’re Adrien Agreste.”

The words hung between them for a moment before Chat Noir stumbled back a step, shaking his head. “What?”

“I know you’re Adrien Agreste. I fell in love with you twice. I tried to date you twice. You tried to go out with me as two different people. I love you even more now,” Ladybug said. She barely heard the words coming out of her mouth, all her attention focused on Chat Noir.

“I need some time for this to sink in,” he said. “I’m actually kind of happy you found out, because everything became so complicated. But I’m in disbelief. When did you find out? And how? I don’t understand.”

“It’s complicated, but I found out yesterday,” Ladybug said. “And I don’t know how to tell you who I am and how I found out.”

“Please try to at least tell me how you found out,” Chat Noir said. Then he continued, “I’d like to know who you are behind the mask, who the beautiful girl I fell in love with really is, so I can love her too. But that can wait until you’re comfortable. I understand.” 

He didn’t know he already did love her outside the mask. But she didn’t know how to address any of this really, so she just nodded. “Thanks. I guess I can try.”

He held her hand reassuringly as she began to speak again. “Well, it started with—” A loud crash and a burst of pink and red cut her off.

“Are you kidding me?” Ladybug snapped. It was frustrating to be interrupted by an akuma.

Chat Noir seemed to switch back to being playful instead of sincere. “What do you say, my lady? Shall we?”

“We don’t have a choice.” She threw her yoyo around the top of a building and swung toward the akuma.

* * *

“Miraculous Ladybug!” The pink and red colors around them disappeared in a blur with the rest of everything else the Valentine’s Day themed akuma had caused. It had taken almost all the time they had after she called for her Lucky Charm to stop the akuma while avoiding being turned into pink or red statue like everyone else who was in love.

“We did it,” she said. “That was more difficult than I’d expected. She was really upset.”

Chat Noir nodded sadly. “Imagine having your partner leave you for someone else right before Valentine’s Day.” 

“It’s not going to happen to you,” Ladybug reassured him, kissing him on the cheek. Her earrings beeped.

“You have to leave, don’t you?” he asked.

She nodded. “There are too many people around after the akuma, and you should comfort her.”

“So when are we going to talk about…?” Chat Noir trailed off, leaving Ladybug to fill in the end of the sentence.

“Our identities. Tomorrow, I guess. Make sure to bring something sweet for us to snack on.” Inspiration struck her suddenly. “You know, those macarons were really good. And the cupcakes and cream puffs. Maybe get something from the same bakery.”

“Remember I helped make those?” Chat Noir said, seeming a little proud.

“Yeah, that’s part of the reason I liked them so much. And I know you like the girl who helped you make them, Marinette.” Ladybug laughed at the expression on his face. There was a chance he’d figured it out by now. “Give her a kiss next time you see her, will you?”

“I- okay,” he said, evidently too stunned by her playful comments to make the connection. Then he winked and asked, “Can I give you a kiss?”

“Always,” she said, then kissed him quickly on the lips.

She was about to swing off when he pulled her back for another, longer kiss and murmured against her lips, “Like that?”

When he pulled away, she nodded. “Like that.”

“I know you have to leave, but I’ll be counting the minutes until I can see you again,” he said.

“So will I,” Ladybug said. She swung away to detransform, knowing it would be sooner than he thought before he saw her again.


	8. Saturday, February 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day seven - sorry it's late but the power was out for most of the day

Adrien had woken up early from a mostly restless night of sleep. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ladybug and Marinette. While he’d done a few basic warmup exercises earlier to try to distract himself, now he was just pacing in his room before breakfast, unable to stop the questions swirling in his mind.

“What did Ladybug mean, give Marinette a kiss? She was teasing, right?” He hadn’t been able to figure it out last night, between talking to the akuma victim and processing the fact that Ladybug knew he was Chat Noir and still loved him.

“Can you go back to freaking out about your identity being revealed?” Plagg muttered.

Ignoring Plagg’s comment, Adrien continued, “Does Ladybug know Marinette? Do they talk about me?”

This time Plagg started laughing, and Adrien spun around to look at the kwami. “Plagg, you’re not being any help.”

“Kid, you’re going to have to wait until you hear it from Ladybug herself,” Plagg said.

Adrien sighed. “I know that, but I can’t sit around and wait that long.”

Plagg stayed quiet for a moment before responding. “You have an hour free after lunch, don’t you?”

Adrien shook his head. “I’m supposed to be doing homework then.”

“So you have an hour free,” Plagg repeated. 

Slowly Adrien took a seat on the edge of his bed and asked, “What are you saying?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Plagg looked annoyed. “You can’t talk to Ladybug, so go talk to Marinette.”

“I can’t do that,” Adrien insisted.

“Chat Noir can. Don’t you think Marinette would love a visit?” Plagg paused just long enough for Adrien to nod before continuing, “Of course I’m going to need lots of cheese for this.”

“Everything comes back to cheese with you,” Adrien muttered, but already he knew he was going to be giving Plagg as much cheese as he could tomorrow. “Fine, I’ll go see her after lunch.”

* * *

Even though the bakery was empty, Marinette was helping her parents behind the counter when Adrien arrived, having detransformed a short distance away. “What would you like?” she asked, her back to him as she prepared an order, putting baked goods in a box.

“Something a little sweet.” At the sound of his voice, she spun around, and the box slipped from her hands. He lunged forward and caught it, setting it down on the counter between them.

“I wasn’t expecting you to see you today,” she mumbled, then asked him, “Anything sweet in mind?” she asked, looking over the baked goods, and he laughed.

“I meant you.” He took her hand, and she looked up, blushing. “You seem surprised.”

“I’m still getting used to this,” she said. “Whatever this is.”

“This,” Adrien said, “is the fact that I’m in love with you.”

“I figured that out,” Marinette said. “What does the other girl think?”

Putting on his most confident Chat Noir demeanor, Adrien smirked, leaned close to her, and said in a low voice, “She told me to kiss you.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, though she didn’t stumble and stammer the way he thought she would. Instead, she murmured back, “I’d kiss you anyways.” Then, louder, she asked, “So why and how are you visiting me in the middle of the day?”

“I was feeling a little lonely,” he said, since it was true. She raised an eyebrow. “I snuck out because I had an hour and wanted to talk to you in person after yesterday.”

“How do you feel about talking to my parents?” Marinette asked slowly, looking past him.

“I’d rather talk to you,” Adrien said, uncomprehending. Then he caught on and turned around and waved at Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain.

* * *

“Well, the good news is I got cheese and you got stuffed full of baked goods,” Plagg said. “In addition to your girlfriend flirting with you whenever her parents weren’t in the room.”

“But that didn’t clear anything up with me, her, and Ladybug.” Plagg’s word choice finally registered with Adrien, who was annoyed at the kwami for setting him up once again. “What do you mean my girlfriend?”

Plagg sighed. “You are going to date her, aren’t you?”

Adrien tried to protest. “Yes but—”

Cutting him off, Plagg said, “I rest my case. Now we both have a busy schedule until it’s time to go see her again tonight, so we’re done here.”

“Okay,” Adrien said. He did have a lot to do, and his homework hour had been taken up by Marinette and her parents. “Wait, you’re not going to be busy.”

“I’m going to be busy resting,” Plagg said, leaving no room for argument. “Talking to you about human love is exhausting.”

* * *

Finally it was time for Chat Noir to go visit Marinette again. So, trying to be dramatic, he landed outside her room and started singing.

“I thought I heard a cat yowling out here,” Marinette said. “Come in.”

“Excuse me, my singing is a-meow-zing,” Chat Noir punned back, causing Marinette to laugh as he walked into her room.

“Fine, I admit it, you’re great.” He took note of how she didn’t specify that just his singing was great. 

“Thank you,” he said, taking a bow. When he straightened up again, he kissed her, surprised when she held on to him even after the kiss ended.

“Why are you here?” she asked, arms still wrapped around him.

Chat Noir decided to be honest. “Ladybug insisted that I pay you a visit.” Though he’d still be here anyways.

Marinette smiled. “Ladybug’s very nice.”

“Do you know her?” A new thought was coming to mind, one he hadn’t considered before. Maybe Marinette and Ladybug could be more than friends. Neither of them had ever said they were straight, and Ladybug had been interested in dating both Adrien and Chat Noir, so maybe they were in love. Though one of them, most likely Ladybug, would have mentioned something to him.

“You could say that,” Marinette said mysteriously. “What else did she say?”

“She said I should pick up something from the bakery to bring to our meeting.” Chat Noir smiled. “She knows the food here is good, but I think the company might be better.”

“I know just the thing. Wait here.” Finally letting go of Chat Noir, Marinette hurried out of the room surprisingly fast.

She came back just as quickly with a box and handed it over to him. “Here you go. I think this is just what you need.”

As Chat Noir took it, Marinette didn’t let go. He looked down at her hands, realizing why. Around her wrist was a very familiar bracelet, which Marinette had made and given to him to give to… “Ladybug.”

“Adrien,” she said in turn. “I thought this was the best way to break the news to you.”

He’d fallen in love with her twice.

She’d fallen in love with him twice.

Plagg had known.

“Plagg, claws in.” Adrien felt Marinette’s gaze on him as he detransformed in front of her.

Plagg looked between Adrien and Marinette, who waved at him. He looked at Adrien and said, “I couldn’t tell you.”

“I know,” Adrien said.

“And trust me, watching the two of you, I wanted to.”

“Plagg!” Adrien jumped at the sharp sound of Tikki’s voice as she flew up from her hiding place to talk to Plagg. “Let’s go talk in private,” Tikki told him. “And leave these two alone.”

“Yes, Sugarcube,” Plagg said. “As long as I get cheese.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “See what I have to put up with?”

Marinette nodded. “I’m lucky I got Tikki.” She stayed silent a moment. “I’m even luckier that I got you.” Before he could react, she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

* * *

“You know, my lady, in seven days I managed to win not only your heart but your identity,” Chat Noir joked, grinning. They were on a rooftop overlooking the city, sitting next to each other and holding hands. The warm box of pastries that Marinette had gotten from the bakery was next to them, untouched. They’d both had their fair share of baked goods this week.

“I’m happy you did,” Ladybug replied, leaning against him. He put one arm around her, wondering how she could look so perfect.

“Does this mean I get a date tomorrow?” Chat Noir asked. “Be my Valentine?”

“Always, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said, wrapping her arms around him. “ _Chaton_.”

Chat Noir beamed, then ventured to say, “Purr-incess.”

Ladybug’s expression went from smiling to wary as she asked, “Was that a pun?”

“Paw-ssibly,” Chat Noir punned.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I take it all back, even this box of pastries.” He grabbed it before she could. She tackled him, and he rolled away from her, standing up on the edge of the roof. She jumped, trying to reach it without her yoyo, and sighed. “It’s not fair that you’re taller than me.”

“It’s not fair that you’re as pretty as me,” Chat Noir replied, winking. He delighted in the way she blushed and stammered out a response about how handsome he was. “You know, I should give myself a treat for Valentine’s Day.”

At that, she stopped and rolled her eyes. Almost before he knew what she was doing, Ladybug used her yoyo to grab the box of pastries and Chat Noir along with it, pulling him down to the ground by his arm. The yoyo released him as she grabbed the box from where it had fallen. She pushed one heart-shaped cookie into his mouth, like what he’d done to her with the macaron, and took another for herself. “You don’t have to. I’ll give you as many treats as you want.”

Sitting up, Chat Noir chewed on the cookie and thought that maybe he had gone to heaven.


	9. Sunday, February 14 (Valentine's Day)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final day - Valentine's Day!

“What are your plans for today, since you’re not going to be with Adrien?” Alya asked.

Marinette glanced over the edge of the screen to where Adrien was stifling his laughter and tried to hide her smile. “Well, once I’m done with this walk, I think I’ll go do some homework, work on my designs, and deliver some orders for my parents at the bakery. What are your plans?”

“I’m going out with Nino. I have something planned for us. But first, I have to edit and post my Valentine’s Day Ladynoir special on the Ladyblog, complete with photographic evidence. I know they have to be a couple, and it’s only a matter of time until I prove it,” Alya said.

Adrien looked like he was going to die or at the very least hurt himself trying not to laugh. Marinette smiled. “I don’t know, I think Ladybug must be in love with someone else. Track them down and you might have your answers.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Alya asked teasingly.

“Perhaps,” Marinette said, drawing out the word. “Well, I have to go. Have fun with Nino! Bye!”

Before Marinette could hang up, Adrien added, “Bye!”

Alya heard and began to shout, her words cut off when Marinette ended the call, laughing. “Did you have to do that?” Marinette asked. “We’re going to have to face her in school tomorrow.”

“So? We’ll be together.” Adrien walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. She could see the Chat Noir bracelet on his wrist, matching the Ladybug bracelet on hers.

From his shirt pocket, she heard a mutter of “they’re going to be so sappy now” followed by Tikki sternly hushing Plagg. She smiled. 

“I guess we can face anything together,” Marinette said.

* * *

Ladybug knew Adrien wasn’t looking forward to the charity event slash publicity stunt his father had planned for Valentine’s Day. The charity part of it was good, he said, but his father was trying to use it to sell stuff. While she couldn’t steal him away during it, she was waiting to talk to him once it was over.

“Ladybug? What are you doing here?” Despite his bright model smile, she could see exhaustion in his eyes.

“You’re free for the next fifteen minutes, right?” Ladybug said.

Adrien nodded. “Yeah,” he said, somewhat unenthusiastic. 

She wanted to cheer him up. “So why don’t I steal you away?” Ladybug asked.

“What?” Adrien looked up, visibly startled and a little hopeful.

Instead of explaining, Ladybug picked him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. “Hold on,” she said softly. She felt him nod. Then she threw her yoyo and they swung off together.

“I’m not going to get used to this,” Adrien said, hanging on for dear life as Ladybug made sure the trip was exhilarating but still safe.

“It’s fun though, isn’t it?” Ladybug waited a second before throwing her yoyo, leaving them in a brief freefall.

“Since I know you’d never drop me, yes,” Adrien said after a moment, his voice slightly strained.

Finally they landed again where Adrien was supposed to be. “I messed up your hair, didn’t I?” Ladybug said, attempting to smooth the golden locks back into their usual style. Instead, she caught herself playing with his hair when he reached up and took her hands.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks,” Ladybug said, then gave him a quick kiss. “I hope Chat Noir can make our date later.”

“I hope so too,” Adrien said, waving goodbye as she left.

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Marinette joked when Chat Noir stopped on her balcony.

Chat Noir kissed the back of her hand in his typical chivalrous style. “Before my date with Ladybug, I thought I’d take my favorite baker and designer around Paris.” 

“I’m not dressed for it,” Marinette said, motioning to her robe.

“You look pretty enough right now,” Chat Noir said. “But I can wait.”

Marinette undid the belt on her robe, then let it slip from her shoulders. Chat Noir’s eyes widened. “Better?” she asked, spinning around. She’d expected Chat Noir to show up on her balcony at some point, since it was Valentine’s Day and he knew she was Ladybug. So she’d put on a red dress she’d designed herself and hidden it under a robe, planning to play a small trick on her partner.

Chat Noir wasn’t responding, just staring at her.

“Cat got your tongue?” Marinette teased.

Recovering his ability to speak, Chat Noir said, “That looks like a purr-fect dress for Valentine’s Day, especially for a beautiful girl like you.” She could see from the look in his eyes and the expression on his face that he liked it.

“Thank you.” After slipping on some comfortable dress shoes, she said, “I’m ready for whatever you have planned.”

“I can see that.” Marinette laughed and walked over to him, taking his hand. He kissed her before continuing, “Were you planning to surprise me with a new outfit and that little trick with the robe?”

Marinette nodded. “What else did you expect?”

“From you? Nothing less.” Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up. “Let’s go,” he said and used his baton to propel them away as she let out a small shriek at the falling sensation. He laughed, and she glared at him as they began jumping across the city.

* * *

“A candlelit dinner with music? When did you get the time to do this?” Ladybug asked. She was a little bit astonished at the sight.

Chat Noir shrugged and admitted, “I’ve been planning it since day one.”

“I admire the confidence,” Ladybug said, taking a seat next to him at the table.

“I admire you,” Chat Noir replied, grinning at the way she began to stammer.

After the meal, Chat Noir turned up the music. It was soft, classical music, good for slow dancing. “I know it’s a little old-fashioned, purr-haps, but may I have this dance?”

“You may,” Ladybug said. He pulled her against him, one hand on her hip, and they began to dance. “I don’t know how to dance, really,” Ladybug admitted. “At least not like this.”

“You’re doing pretty well, though,” Chat Noir told her. She was aware of how close he was as they moved together. “My parents taught me when I was younger, and I thought I’d put it to good use for once.”

“It’s romantic,” Ladybug said, pulling him closer. She heard him draw in a breath. When the song ended, he started to step away, but she kept her arms around him, keeping him close. “You’re so romantic, and I love you.”

* * *

“Mind if I stay for a while?” Adrien asked Marinette later when they were sitting in her room. As happy as she was with their new relationship, she was still a little nervous about her long-time crush being in her room detransformed. It was hard for all the nerves to go away that quickly, and she was still a little scared that he’d leave if she messed up.

“I’d love it if you stay,” Marinette said. “Our kwamis can talk and we can hang out, maybe even play a video game.” She checked her phone and saw a text from Alya and a notification from the Ladyblog.

Adrien leaned over when he saw the expression on her face. “What’s that?”

“Alya’s saying that she and Nino did some investigative reporting for the Ladyblog Valentine’s Day special and she wants me to call her about some stuff she couldn’t put in the article.”

“Do you think she knows our identities?” Adrien’s voice was a little strained. “Call her.”

Alya picked up as soon as Marinette called her, and Marinette immediately asked, “What did you want to tell me?”

“Please don’t get mad,” Alya began, “but I figured out who Ladybug and Chat Noir are dating.”

“How?” Marinette asked, glancing at Adrien, who looked up from reading the Ladyblog and shrugged. 

Sounding eager, Alya said, “I’ve been piecing together footage and subtleties and a few things I saw by accident, and please don’t get mad, but I know you and Adrien are dating Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“What?” Adrien’s shocked exclamation was loud enough for Alya to hear.

“Oh, hey Adrien,” Alya said, sounding unsurprised. The earlier phone call must have made her realize the two were sneaking around, and then she’d put two and two together to get the four of them dating each other. At least their identities were intact. “Well, you guys got a little sloppy trying to hide it, but don’t worry, nobody’s going to know besides me and Nino. I may be a reporter, but I respect your privacy. Can I ask you guys some questions though?”

“Five questions, and then I’m going to go back to kissing Marinette,” Adrien said in an even tone.

Marinette could feel her face growing warm. “Adrien,” she hissed while Alya squealed. Then the call ended abruptly, and Marinette sighed. “I think you just killed Alya,” she said tiredly.

“So? I get to go back to kissing you,” Adrien said, brushing her hair away from her face before kissing her.

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” Marinette murmured. She kissed him again. “We’re going to have to come up with a story for Alya, though.”

“We can do that. We can do anything together, can’t we?” Adrien hugged Marinette and let her lean her head on his shoulder. “If we can face akumas, I’m sure we can face Alya.”

“Alya can be scarier than an akuma,” Marinette said. Adrien nodded in agreement.

“I wonder if she thinks I’m dating Chat Noir as well as you and Ladybug,” Adrien mused.

Marinette shoved him gently. “No way.”

“I mean, we’re both handsome,” Adrien continued.

“No way,” Marinette repeated, laughing.

“And if I wasn’t him…”

“That’s like saying I would date Ladybug,” Marinette said.

“You’re both beautiful, smart, funny, creative.” Adrien started listing off adjectives until Marinette cut him off with a kiss.

“I’d rather be with you,” she said. “Not that you’re wrong,” she added after a second.

Soon Adrien had to leave, but not before Marinette gave him some pastries, adding in some cheese for Plagg.

Adrien had transformed back into Chat Noir and gave her another kiss. “See you in school tomorrow?”

“I’ll try to wake up and get to school early, so I won’t leave you to face Alya alone,” Marinette promised. She wasn’t so sure it would happen, but she’d feel bad if she left Adrien to fend for himself.

“Thanks, Marinette,” Chat Noir said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Marinette said.

One last kiss, and then Chat Noir left. She missed him as soon as he was gone.

But Marinette had the feeling this was only the first of many Valentine’s Days they’d have together, and she was looking forward to all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I got carried away with the final scene... I wonder how that conversation will go with Alya 
> 
> It's been great seeing the reaction from all of you, your support kept me writing through the end, even if I've been posting chapters gradually later each day. Thanks to those of you who've stuck with me, I really appreciate it.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave comments and kudos. Thanks for reading!


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